The answer dumbfounded me. It is NOT. Oil is just that... oil. It protects internal engine parts during start-ups and high-revs and it doesn't matter from where or what material it is made from, it performs as the lubricant it was designed to be. The cheap mineral alternative will give the same level of protection as your expensive P600 a liter synthetic oil. One thing that you need to consider though is the weight or viscosity of the oil you are buying, and you should refer to what the car manual suggests. If you pour in light oil, then you may have oil leaks all over if your seals are not in good condition. On the contrary, pouring in heavy oil, would add extra load on your engine and would increase your gas consumption.
So back to the question: What's the best oil for your VTEC engine?
I'll take the advice of Mr. Ichisima, the president of Spoon Sports JAPAN -- the world-famous Honda Tuner. Taken from Temple of VTEC Asia.
One question that have always been asked whenever Honda fans discusses about VTEC is that issue of the best engine oil for the engine. While there are many different brands of oil available on the market, many with great specifications, some even with a "Formula-1 Pedigree" (e.g. Mobil-1), I think the answer by Mr. Ichisima, president of the famous SPOON SPORTS Honda specialist tuner in Japan during his interview on issue-1 of BEST MOTORing International, is the best and most concise. Mr. Ichisima said it simply for engine oil, the "price per litre" is no indication of suitability, i.e. a multi-dollar oil will not necessarily work better than the cheaper alternative. He goes on to make a firm recommendation for the best engine oil for your Honda engine, the oil available from the dealer is probably the best. Personally, I think his recommendation makes the best sense.
Well, having said that, good news is upon us. Have you ever heard of the Honda dealerships' promo on oil change? Honda Philippines Quick Change Oil Promo
With this, I change Scratchy's oil every three months and this way, my D16A always gets a frequent supply of fresh, clean oil to make it last longer. You can't do that with fully synthetic oil considering its price, right? How many months before you change your oil?
UPDATE (1-05-2012) : Is the P875 promo still available? Last time I checked, it's now up to P1,085. Too bad, everything is becoming expensive. Click link for the new promo: http://www.hondaphil.com/ver2/promo/changeoil.php
